Method of precompressing and erecting a modular structure

ABSTRACT

A PLURALITY OF BLOCKS, PREFERABLY HAVING I-SHAPED CROSS SECTION, ARRANGED IN ALIGNMENT AND WIRES, HELD IN TENSION, EXTEND ALONG BLOCKS AND ARE CLAMPED AT ENDS OF LINE OF BLOCKS TO FORM STRUCTURAL UNITS. UNITS ARRANGED ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER AT PLACE OF INSTALLATION, AND ADDITIONAL WIRES, HELD IN TENSION, CLAMP UNITS TOGETHER. LINES   OF BLOCKS IN EACH UNIT ARE ARRANGED AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER.

Jm12f1971 EDDMPAS 3,553,923

METHOD DF PRECDMPRESSING AND lEREC'MNG A MODULAR STRUCTURE Filed sept)13, 196s Vm l FIG. 4

` INVENTOR! D 5 srheetsrsheet 2 Wffa l 'l 1611.1;1971 L E. D, DOMPAS3,553,923

METHOD OF PRECOMPRESSING AND ERECTING A MODULAR STRUCTURE 1 5lSheets-Sheetv 3 v Filed Sem. 13. 196e -F/NG. 5

FIG. 6

/N VEN oR: Eb/u E a. Da/1mi BY l Jan. 12, L, E D, DQMPAS I 3,553,923 jMETHOD OF PRECOMPRESSING AND ERECTING A MDDULR STRUCTURE Filed Sept..L3, 1968 K '5 Sheets-Sheet '4 METHOD OF PRECOMPRESSING AND ERECTING AMODULAR STRUCTURE med sept. 1.3, 196s U Sweets-,sheet 5 FIG.80

/N VEA/TOR: U q/v f. D. Darm/0 5 Bv United States Patent 3,553,923METHOD F PRECOMPRESSING AND ERECTING A MODULAR STRUCTURE Leon E. D.Dompas, 213 Jan Van Rijswijcklaan, Antwerp, Belgium Filed Sept. 13,1968, Ser. No. 759,597 Int. Cl. E04b 1/06, 1/348; E04a 21/14 U.S. Cl.52--745 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present inventionrelates to a method of erecting a building from prefabricated structuralunits. Prefabricated construction differs, as is known, from thetraditional manner of construction in that individual prefabricatedunits of transportable size are assembled at the building site. Oneparticular problem presented is that the size of the prefabricated unitswhich can be used is limited, since excessively large units cannot betransported. From the standpoint of this problem, the conventionalmanner of construction is far superior to prefabricated construction. Inparticular, prefabricated construction is economically worthwhile onlywhen the prevfabricated parts can be manufactured in large numbers.

The present invention provides a method of erecting buildings ofprefabricated parts in which the transportation problem, which hasconstituted an obstacle in the known prefabricated method ofconstruction, is not present, and in which the work can be carried outeconomically even if the quantities of individual parts are not large.However, the present method retains the main advantage of prefabricatedconstruction, namely, the opportunity to work rapidly. The method of theinvention resides in forming frames or units consisting ofspecial-shaped blocks held together solely by tensile stressed elements,these units being arranged alongside or above one another and thenconnected together with clamping wires stressed in tension, and arrangedperpendicular to the planes of the frames, to form the building or apart thereof.

One particular feature of the method of the invention is characterizedby the use of identical special-shaped blocks, of I-beam shape in crosssection, which are placed alongside of each other with their center websaligned to form the beams of a frame. The blocks are clamped together byclamping wires which extend laterally alongside the center webs andwhich are anchored in clamping blocks forming the two opposite ends ofeach straight beam of a frame.

In order to manufacture such a frame, the I-shaped building blocks areplaced together with the clamping blocks in a horizontal form whichdetermines the shape of the frame, and clamped together therein. In onevery special feature of the invention, this form is connected with alift by means of which it can be moved from a lowered horizontalposition, after the insertion and rice clamping of the building,clamping and possibly also connecting blocks, to the place where theframe is to be installed. Furthermore, provision can be made for thisform to be moved into a stationary clamping device for effecting theblock clamping if the clamping device itself is not already provided onthe form. This form can be arranged, for instance, on a truck in such amanner that it is tiltable into a vertical orientation and adjustable inheight.

After the frames have been placed alongside of each other, or on top ofeach other, they can be connected together by clamping wires whichextend through the adjoining clamping blocks at the ends of the beamsforming the frames, and further clamping wires can extend through thebuilding blocks parallel to and between the wires extending through theclamping blocks.

When the frames have intersecting beams, or beams connected with eachother in the form of a T, then in a further development of theinvention, the connections between two or more such beams of a frame areformed by connecting blocks which have continuous openings foraccommodating the clamping wires of all beams resting against them, andfor accommodating the clamping wires serving to connect several framestogether.

By placing such frames manufactured in accordance with the inventionalongside of each other or on top of each other, wall parts of thebuilding are automatically produced. However, the frames can also bearranged spaced apart, parallel to, and aligned with each other in orderto produce a skeleton-like structure in which connecting parts, stressedin compression by clamping wires are clamped between them. Theseconnecting parts can be formed, in accordance with the invention, ofsuitably dimensional frames as described above.

Further advantages and details of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description of preferred embodiments, read with referenceto the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing two frames connected together and athird frame which is to be connected thereto, the front frame beingshown partly exploded;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing schematically a form used for themanufacture of the frames shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational |view showing a truck carrying the form;

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the truck with the form, together withelements of a clamping press;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the tilting up of the formwith the frame contained therein;

FIG. 6 shows placing the frame contained in the form against frameswhich have already been setup;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a building skeleton formed of frames ofthe type shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. SA-F show in perspective several further possible shapes ofstructures formed of correspondingly shaped frames.

The prefabricated parts used in accordance with the illustrativeembodiment of the invention are building blocks 14 of I-shaped crosssection, as clearly shown in FIG. 1. In addition, clamping blocks 15 andconnecting blocks 16, 17 and 18 are shown. Clamping wires, and means forclamping the blocks together to form the frames, are also shown.

The illustrative frame of FIG. l has a beam 10 which will be vertical inthe nished building and -which is provided at its two ends withcross-beams 11 and 13, respectively, and between these with a centralbeam 12. The cross-beam 11 may subsequently form the iioor of thebuilding, the cross-beam 12 the floor of the first story, and thecross-beam 13 the roof in the two-story building.

The following description will indicate how, starting with theprefabricated building blocks consisting of highgrade concrete, and theclamping and connecting blocks, one proceeds to erect a building inaccordance with the present invention A form, open on top, is arrangedon a truck in tiltable manner, a plan view of the form beingschematically shown in FIG. 2. The form consists essentially of achannel-shaped element extending in a longitudinal direction of thetruck and adapted to receive those parts which, after the clampingtogether, form the Vertical beam 10, and three channel-shaped elementsextending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the truck, toreceive the parts which ultimately form the transversely extending beams11, 12 and 13. First, the clamping blocks 15 and the connecting blocks16, 17, and 18 are inserted at the places designated 16', 17' and 13',respectively. The shape of these blocks can be noted from FIG. l.Thereupon, a first layer of clamping wires 19, 20 is inserted throughthe corresponding openings in said blocks. The I-shaped building blocks14 are then inserted in such a manner that their central webs cover theclamping wires. Then the second layer of clamping wires 19, 20 arepulled through. Thereafter, all the clamping wires 19, 20 are tensionedto such an extent that even when the beam is subsequently under load, notensile forces occur on the blocks themselves. Instead, the blocksexperience only compressive forces. Obviously, by using a form whichcorresponds to the shape of the frame to be made, the manufacture ofeven complicated frames is a simple matter.

The frame produced in this manner, three of which are shown in FIG. 1,is then tilted up, as shown in FIG. 5, and the finished frame is placedagainst frames which have already been manufactured in similar mannerand set up previously, as shown in FIG. 6. This is continued until thebasic framework shown in FIG. 7 is complete. Thereupon prefabricatedlightweight structural parts which form the outer and partition walls ofthe finished building are inserted. The outside walls may be made frombeams, consisting of building blocks in accordance with the invention,which can then be clamped tight or held in place by masonry. As can beseen, the form mounted on the truck serves not only to make assemblingof the individual parts of a frame simple, but in addition, as a meansfor transporting the frame to the place where it is to be installed.

The frames which have been assembled in the manner described above arethen clamped to each other, as shown in FIG. l, by horizontallyextending clamping wires 21 and 22. This clamping can be effected byhand in the case of buildings which are not excessively large. Theclamping wires 21 extend through the clamping blocks 15. The recessespresent on the outside in the clamping blocks (and which have not beenprovided with a reference number) Iwhich accommodate the clampingplates, the threaded ends of the wires, and nuts can subsequently befilled with concrete if this is desired.

lt will be appreciated that instead of arranging the frames verticallyalongside each other, as described above, the frames which have beenprefabricated by the method just described can be placed one on top ofthe other in the construction of, for example, towers and bridges.

Furthermore, in contrast to the showing of FIG. l, the individualframes, removed from the form, could (in a manner not shown in thedrawing), instead of being arranged directly alongside of each other, beclamped in vertically spaced relation, yby means of clamping wires, withspacers or connecting parts between each two successive frames. In thisway, a skeleton-like structure is obtained, in contrast to the structureof, for instance, FIG. 7.

lConventionally, in the case of many high structures, a steel skeletonis first erected, around which walls, ceilings, and the like are cast inconcrete. Obviously, frames made in accordance with the invention can beused, with the interposition of spacers, as just described, to formskeletons which may be used in place of the known steel skeletons, andthis will be substantially more economical. The spacers or connectingparts which, in the manufacture of a skeleton-like structure, areclamped between the individual frames can themselves be frames producedin accordance with the invention.

On considerable advantage of a biulding erected in accordance with theinvention is that it is so firm in itself, due to the clamping, that nofoundation of special quality is needed, e.g., a simple bed of sand issufficient provided that it is protected against freezing. A buildingconstructed in accordance with the invention is, furthermore, resistantto earthquakes, since it is braced in all directions. Should adeformation of the building take place as a result of a particularlystrong earthquake, or settling of the ground, or the like, the buildingcannot cave in and thus possibly endanger human life. A substantialadvantage also resides in the fact that despite the high strength whichstructures erected in accordance With the invention have, they may bedemolished considerably faster and at less expense than in the case oftraditional buildings, particularly buildings having cast load-bearingparts.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form only, andby Way of example, and many variations may be made in the inventionwhich Will still be comprised Within its spirit. It is understood,therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form orembodiment except insofar as such limitations are included in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of erecting a building from prefabricated structural parts,comprising the steps of arranging a first row of building blocks inalignment along an axis with adjacent blocks contacting each other,arranging a second row of building blocks in alignment along a secondaxis with adjacent blocks contacting each other, the axis of said firstand second plurality of aligned blocks being perpendicular to andintersecting each other along their length, clamping said blockstogether to form a unit by means maintained in a state of tension, theclamping force applied to said blocks being in the direction of theiralignment, arranging a plurality of said units adjacent to each otherwith their points of intersection aligned transversely of the rows, andclamping said units together by another means maintained in a state oftension, the clamping force being applied to said units in a directionperpendicular to the planes which contain them and to the direction ofalignment of the blocks forming each unit.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality of buildingblocks are arranged in a form conforming to the shape of the final unit,and said blocks are clamped together while in the form.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein said form is in a horizontalorientation during arrangement and clamping of said building blocks, andsaid unit is transported in the form to its place of installation in thebuildmg.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said form is mounted on atruck, and at the place of installation the form is tilted off the truckinto a vertical orientation.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said building blocks areI-shaped in cross section and the blocks are arranged with their centralWebs in alignment and said block-clamping step includes arranging atleast one wire alongside the central webs in the direction of alignmentof the blocks, and anchoring the ends of the wire to clamping blocksarranged at the ends of the line of building blocks.

6 6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein said unit- FOREIGN PATENTSclamping step includes passing wires through openings in 202 879 6/1956Australia 52 228 the clamping blocks, and anchoring the ends of thewires 939124 4/1948 France 52 228 t0 the outermost Clamping b10CkS-,1,333022 6/1963 France :w: 52-227 7. method'as defined 1n claim wheremsaid unlt 5 723,619 2/1955 Great Brimin 52 227 arranglng step 1nc1udesarranglng sa1d units 1n spaced- 697195 9/1953 Great Brimin 52 227 apartparallel planes, and arranging connecting parts be- 419,534 3/1967Swltzerland 524-227 tween the units and wherein said clamping meansmaintains the connecting parts in compression.

References Cited 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS 52 79, 228 747 2,776,4711/1957 Dobell 52-228 3,333,322 8/1967 Toffolon 52-749 HENRY C.SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. XR.

